All artists featured on this page have their main entries on the relevant page under their surname.
Page updated – 26/11/2023
Bolan, Sean (1948)
Born in Hampshire, England, Sean Bolan is largely self-taught and has been a professional artist since 1976, having previously worked as a signalman for British Railways.
LMS (NCC) compound 2-4-2T No.101 at Larne Town station – pen and ink colour-wash.
Bottomley, Eric (1948)
Eric Bottomley was born in Oldham, Lancashire. He studied art and crafts at Oldham School of Art, leaving in 1964 to work in Manchester as a commercial artist. In 1974 he moved to Dorset continuing as a freelance artist/illustrator which enabled him to devote more time to oil painting. Two years later he took up fine art full time from his studio in Wimborne Minster. He joined the Guild of Railway Artists in 1979, later to become a full member.
Great Victoria Street, Belfast (20″ x 30″).
Briggs, David (1955)
I was born in Lisburn, Co.Antrim, where I still live. I spent most of my working life in various management roles in the textile industry until that industry went ‘east’ in 2006 when I decided to take early retirement and concentrate on my many interests and hobbies. I have always been what is generally described as a ‘petrolhead’ and have been a keen motorcyclist for over 40 years. When my friends were buying comics as a youngster I was buying car, motorcycle and commercial vehicle magazines!
Painting and drawing have always been a hobby throughout my life although not continuously. It is only since retirement that I have tried to ‘push’ it on a bit. I have no training whatsoever and am self-taught, but I am reasonably happy with my efforts. I think when I switched from watercolour to acrylic that things improved dramatically as it’s such a versatile medium, indeed if I had discovered it years ago and pursued some professional training perhaps my life may have taken a different course!
Most of my work goes to commission, I standardise on 30″x 20″ canvas board purely because I like to get the detail in! Most of my work can be seen on my public Facebook page ‘The Transport Artwork of David Briggs’, and you can contact me through it if you wish. Although railways have featured largely to date simply because that’s what the orders came for, I am now pushing the commercial vehicle side. Whilst there are many well known artists in GB specialising on the transport subjects, here in Northern Ireland there are very few so I tend to concentrate on local subjects to try and promote our little corner of the U.K., although if it’s powered by any sort of engine I will happily consider any subject matter from any corner of the world!
Carey, Joseph William (1859 – 1937)
Clay, Jonathan
Tralee & Dingle locomotive No.1T seen working a transfer cattle train from the narrow gauge station through the streets of Tralee to the nearby broad gauge station. – A 1990’s commission.
Cooper, George Sidney (1935 – 1988)
Hamilton Ellis, Cuthbert (1909 – 1987)
Hanan, George Robert (1922 – 2009)
Irish railway modeller and artist.
George Hannan was born in Ballineskar, Co.Wexford and first considered studying art seriously following the winning of an award from the British and Dominions School of Art in 1937. He went on to study drawing under Peter Brennan ANCA , and N C Moore ANCA, winning a first class award in a National Art Examination during 1944.
He eventually attended the National College of Art for a finishing course in oil painting under the instruction of Maurice McGonigle RHA and, finally, figure and portrait painting under Sean Keating PRHA. He was well known for his railway and landscape paintings and exhibited in Dublin for some years before moving to Donegal in 1984.
“Co.Donegal Railways 2-6-4T Alice in the Barnesmore Gap“. Picture: Ulster Folk & Transport Museum.
Hill, Jack (-1979)
“GSWR Cork-Rosslare Boat Express at Waterford” from the book The Golden Age of European Railways, Pen & Sword (2013).
Hillman, Denis
Jay, Peter (1919 – 2000)
Originally from Norwich, Peter Jay lived for many years in Kenya before settling in Ireland in the late 1950s. He worked in Dublin as a commercial artist, later moving to Dundalk where he created work from his studio for more than 20 years. He balanced his studio work with working as an artist in advertising agencies and book illustration, including illustrating Folens school books for a number of years.
Jaycock, Victor (1920 – 2003)
Victor Jaycock’s career was mainly in the planning deparment of the the London & North Eastern Railway and later with British Railways. He was a naturally gifted artist from a very young age and his school regarded him as their best art student. He never attended art classes after leaving school but painting became his a major hobby. He continued painting in retirement and was still working at the time of his death. Ref: The Steam Age in Ireland, Colourpoint Books (2004).
Magill, Joseph (1938)
Nicholl, Andrew RHA (1804 – 1886)
Piper, Raymond RUA (1923 – 2007)
“Greenore Boat Express” dated 1957, oil on canvas (24″ x 34.5″). Depicts a boat train c.1914, commissioned by British Railways.
Originally hung at London’s Euston Station it is now in the collection of the National Railway Museum.
© National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library.
Tom Roche (1940)
Tralee & Dingle Railway locomotive 5T at Castlegregory Junction – Tom Roche Gallery postcard.
Rudd, Thomas (1861-)
Thomas Rudd painted pictures of locomotives and trains for over 40 years leaving an incomparable record of the appearance of all forms of the railway scene in the days of the pregrouping companies. Most of Rudd’s work was done for The Locomotive Publishing Company, his pictures usually being signed ‘F. Moore’ or ‘F.M.’. Rudd painted the original oil pictures from which colour plates were produced for The Locomotive Magazine from 1897 until 1933. His work is probably best-known in the series of coloured postcards which appeared between 1903 and 1927 with many later reprints. His paintings also formed the background for many coloured plates in the Railway Magazine and numerous books such as The Wonder Book of Railways, J. R. Howden’s Locomotives of the World, etc. as well as for cigarette cards.
Co.Donegal Railway Joint Committee, Tank Engine No.21.”Ballyshannon” a print of the original oil painting which was published in The Locomotive magazine of 15th July 1912.
Scully, Andrew
Stopford, Robert Lowe (1813 – 1898)
Stothers, David (1967)
An amateur landscape artist from Portadown, Co.Armagh.
Turner, John RUA (1916 – 2006)
Twine, Paul Francis (1930 – 2000)
Wenlock, Debra
Whitla, Norman (1936 – 2018)
Norman Whitla was born in Bangor Co. Down. He trained as a tool maker and machine tool designer and worked in both Belfast and Toronto, Canada. From early days Norman was interested in sketching “things mechanical” and soon developed an appreciation for ‘art in industry’. Later in life he took to painting, specialising in subjects such as industry of the past e.g, steam railways, agricultural machinery, vintage and classic road vehicles, sail and steam shipping, tramways, aircraft etc.
“Enterprise Express leaving the old GNR Railway Station, Great Victoria Street” oil on board (18″ x 24″), sold at Ross’s – 4/11/2020 for £1,500 against a pre-sale estimate of £300/400.
Wyse, Steve
www.railart.co.uk/gallery/wyse
London artist and musician, Steve Wyse now lives in Ramsgate on the east Kent coast. His first railway artworks were painted in oils but when he discovered the Apple-Mac computer in the early 90’s the brushes and paints were sidelined to make way for a new sleek 30Mhz Macintosh.
Steve is a professional graphic designer who has produced a wealth of print and web material for companies as diverse as Pepsi, Disney and Sky BSB plus designs over 70 DVD and CD covers for artists both great and small. He continues to produce ‘real’ artwork using modern acrylic paint.
“Merlin at Malahide” GNR(I) 4-4-0 steam locomotive Number 85 ‘Merlin’ is seen heading north through Malahide station in the late 1950s. Available as a fine art print here.
Art for Art's Sake! 